Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Detailed Injunctions about Ramadan

Al-Hasan ibn Ali and Muhammad ibn al-Mutawakkil said: Abd al-Razzaq informed us: Ma'mar informed us—the report of al-Hasan also names Malik ibn Anas—from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged prayer during Ramadan without making it binding. He would say: ‘Whoever stands in prayer during Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward will have his previous sins forgiven.’ The Messenger of Allah passed away while this remained the practice. It remained so during the caliphate of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and the early part of Umar’s caliphate (may Allah be pleased with him). Abu Dawud said: Uqayl, Yunus, and Abu Uways narrated it similarly: ‘Whoever stands in prayer during Ramadan.’ Uqayl also narrated, ‘Whoever fasts Ramadan and stands in prayer during it.’

Makhlad ibn Khalid and Ibn Abi Khalaf said—the meaning is the same—Sufyan narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, who attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): ‘Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and seeking reward will have his previous sins forgiven, and whoever stands in prayer on the Night of Decree out of faith and seeking reward will have his previous sins forgiven.’ Abu Dawud said: Yahya ibn Abi Kathir narrated it similarly from Abu Salamah, as did Muhammad ibn Amr from Abu Salamah.

Al-Qa'nabi narrated to us, from Malik ibn Anas, from Ibn Shihab, from Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, from Aishah, the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that the Prophet prayed in the mosque, and some people prayed with him. He prayed again the following night, and more people gathered. They gathered on the third night, but the Messenger of Allah did not come out to them. In the morning he said: ‘I saw what you did. Nothing kept me from coming out to you except that I feared it might be made obligatory upon you.’ This took place in Ramadan.

Hannad ibn al-Sari narrated to us: Abdah narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Amr, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, from Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Rahman, from Aishah, who said: People used to pray in the mosque in scattered groups during Ramadan. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed me to spread a mat for him, and he prayed on it, according to this account. It says that the Prophet said: ‘People, by Allah, I have not spent this night heedlessly, and your gathering was not hidden from me.’

Musaddad narrated to us: Yazid ibn Zuray narrated to us: Dawud ibn Abi Hind informed us, from al-Walid ibn Abd al-Rahman, from Jubayr ibn Nufayr, from Abu Dharr, who said: We fasted Ramadan with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but he did not lead us in prayer during any part of the month until seven nights remained. Then he led us in prayer until a third of the night had passed. When six nights remained, he did not lead us in prayer. When five nights remained, he led us until half the night had passed. I said, Messenger of Allah, I wish you had offered voluntary prayer with us for the rest of this night. He said: When a man prays with the imam until the imam leaves, it is counted for him as standing in prayer for a whole night. When four nights remained, he did not lead us in prayer. When three nights remained, he gathered his family, his wives, and the people, and led us in prayer until we feared we would miss al-falah. I asked, What is al-falah? He said: The pre-dawn meal. Then he did not lead us in prayer for the rest of the month.

Nasr ibn Ali and Dawud ibn Umayyah narrated to us: Sufyan informed them, from Abu Yafur—Dawud said, from Ibn Ubayd ibn Nistas—from Abu al-Duha, from Masruq, from Aishah, that when the last ten nights began, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would keep vigil at night, tighten his waist-wrapper, and wake his family. Abu Dawud said: Abu Yafur was named Abd al-Rahman ibn Ubayd ibn Nistas.

Ahmad ibn Said al-Hamdani narrated to us: Abd Allah ibn Wahb narrated to us: Muslim ibn Khalid informed me, from al-Ala ibn Abd al-Rahman, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out and saw people praying in a corner of the mosque during Ramadan. He asked: Who are these people? It was said: These are people who have no Quran with them, and Ubayy ibn Kab is praying, so they are praying behind him. The Prophet said: They have done what is right; how well they have acted! Abu Dawud said: This hadith is not strong. Muslim ibn Khalid is weak.

Sulayman ibn Harb and Musaddad—both giving the same meaning—narrated to us: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, from Asim, from Zirr, who said: I said to Ubayy ibn Kab: Tell me about Laylat al-Qadr, Abu al-Mundhir, for our companion was asked about it. He said: Whoever keeps standing in prayer throughout the year will encounter it. He said: May Allah have mercy on Abu Abd al-Rahman. By Allah, he knew that it is in Ramadan—Musaddad added: but he disliked people relying on it, or wanted them not to rely on it; then they agreed—and by Allah, it is in Ramadan, on the twenty-seventh night, without exception. I said: Abu al-Mundhir, how did you know that? He said: By the sign that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told us. I asked Zirr: What is the sign? He said: The sun rises on the morning after that night like a basin, with no rays, until it has risen higher.

Ahmad ibn Hafs ibn Abd Allah al-Sulami narrated to us: My father narrated to us: Ibrahim ibn Tahman narrated to us, from Abbad ibn Ishaq, from Muhammad ibn Muslim al-Zuhri, from Damrah ibn Abd Allah ibn Unays, from his father, who said: I was at a gathering of Banu Salimah, and I was the youngest of them. They said: Who will ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for us about Laylat al-Qadr? This was on the morning of the twenty-first of Ramadan. I went out and joined the Messenger of Allah for the sunset prayer. Then I stood by the door of his house, and he passed by me and said: Come in. I went in, and his supper was brought. He saw me holding back from it because there was so little. When he had finished, he said: Hand me my sandals. He stood up, and I stood with him. He said: It seems you have a need. I said: Yes. A group of Banu Salimah sent me to ask you about Laylat al-Qadr. He said: What night is it? I said: The twenty-second. He said: It is tonight. Then he went back and said: Or the following night—meaning the twenty-third night.

Ahmad ibn Yunus narrated to us: Zuhayr narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Ishaq informed us: Muhammad ibn Ibrahim narrated to us, from Ibn Abd Allah ibn Unays al-Juhani, from his father, who said: I said, Messenger of Allah, I live in a remote place where, praise be to Allah, I pray. Tell me of a night on which I should come down to this mosque. He said: Come down on the night of the twenty-third. I asked his son how his father used to act. He said: He would enter the mosque after praying the afternoon prayer and would not leave it for any need until he had prayed the dawn prayer. After praying the dawn prayer, he would find his mount at the mosque door, sit on it, and return to his remote place.

Musa ibn Ismail narrated to us: Wuhayb narrated to us: Ayyub informed us, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: Seek it during the last ten nights of Ramadan: when nine nights remain, when seven remain, and when five remain.

Al-Qanabi narrated to us, from Malik, from Yazid ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Had, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Harith al-Taymi, from Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Rahman, from Abu Saeed al-Khudri, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to observe spiritual retreat during the middle ten days of Ramadan. One year he observed retreat, and when the night of the twenty-first came—the night on which he would leave his retreat—he said: Whoever observed retreat with me should observe retreat during the last ten nights. I was shown this night, then I was made to forget it. I saw myself prostrating on the morning after it in water and mud. Seek it during the last ten nights, and seek it on every odd night. Abu Saeed said: Rain fell that night, and the mosque had a roof made of palm branches, so the mosque leaked. Abu Saeed said: My own eyes saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and on the morning of the twenty-first there were traces of water and mud on his forehead and nose.

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us: Abd al-Ala narrated to us: Said informed us, from Abu Nadrah, from Abu Saeed al-Khudri, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Seek it during the last ten nights of Ramadan, and seek it when nine, seven, and five nights remain. I said: Abu Saeed, you know the counting better than we do. He said: Yes. I asked: What are the ninth, seventh, and fifth? He said: When twenty-one nights have passed, the following night is the ninth remaining; when twenty-three have passed, the following night is the seventh remaining; and when twenty-five have passed, the following night is the fifth remaining. Abu Dawud said: I do not know whether I missed something from his report or not.

Hakim ibn Sayf al-Raqqi informed us: Ubayd Allah—meaning Ibn Amr—informed us, from Zayd—meaning Ibn Abi Unaysah—from Abu Ishaq, from Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Aswad, from his father, from Ibn Masud, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to us: Seek it on the seventeenth night of Ramadan, the twenty-first night, and the twenty-third night. Then he fell silent.

Al-Qanabi narrated to us, from Malik, from Abd Allah ibn Dinar, from Ibn Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Seek Laylat al-Qadr among the last seven nights.

Ubayd Allah ibn Muadh narrated to us: My father narrated to us: Shubah informed us, from Qatadah, who heard Mutarrif, from Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), concerning Laylat al-Qadr, who said: Laylat al-Qadr is the twenty-seventh night.

Humayd ibn Zanjuyah al-Nasai informed us: Said ibn Abi Maryam narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Jafar ibn Abi Kathir narrated to us: Musa ibn Uqbah informed us, from Abu Ishaq, from Said ibn Jubayr, from Abd Allah ibn Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about Laylat al-Qadr while I was listening. He said: It is in every Ramadan. Abu Dawud said: Sufyan and Shubah narrated it from Abu Ishaq as a statement of Ibn Umar, without attributing it to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Muslim ibn Ibrahim and Musa ibn Ismail said: Aban informed us, from Yahya, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, from Abu Salamah, from Abd Allah ibn Amr, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: Recite the Quran in a month. He said: I have the strength to do more. He said: Recite it in twenty days. He said: I have the strength to do more. He said: Recite it in fifteen days. He said: I have the strength to do more. He said: Recite it in ten days. He said: I have the strength to do more. He said: Recite it in seven days, and do not go beyond that. Abu Dawud said: The version transmitted by Muslim is more complete.

Sulayman ibn Harb informed us: Hammad informed us, from Ata ibn al-Saib, from his father, from Abd Allah ibn Amr, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: Fast three days each month and recite the Quran in a month. He kept reducing the interval for me, and I kept asking him to reduce it, until he said: Fast one day and do not fast the next. Ata said: We differed in what we transmitted from my father: some of us said seven days, and some said five.